Plot Twist
by Alastor the Devil
Summary: The plot of the original story has been changed by none other than Dr.Cranken. The self proclaimed new leader of Gedow is planning something and the world's two new heroes are in a terrible situation...
1. Chapter 1

A/N: My hunger for the new Viewtiful Joe games coming out for both the DS and Gamecube have led me to write another fic. This is a continuation of my other Viewtiful Joe fics, hence a sequel to a sequel.

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Based on VJ 1 and 2 for Gamecube.

Disclaimer: You should know by now who owns Viewtiful Joe.

- - _Enjoy the show! _- -

"Whenever I'm in trouble, promise to come save me. Okay?"

- - -

She slowly opened her eyes to the wetness pelting her face, one cold drop at a time. Suppressing a groan, she rolled away from the dripping spot in the cracked, stone ceiling. She dazed upon the pooling water beside her head before coming to realization that she should be wondering where the heck she was. And how exactly had she gotten here? And most of all, what had happened to her?

Her body was aching all over and not to mention the sudden pain that came to her head when she tried to get up. Lying carefully back down, Goldie placed a cold, trembling hand over her throbbing temple. _Jeez ... What happened?_

It was incredibly hard trying to remember anything that could conclude her current situation. Her memory was nothing but a vague, blurry mess but she did remember one thing though; she was with Alastor the whole time.

So where was he now?

"Heh, takes you long enough to wake up," came a familiar voice, answering her question. Turning towards the sound, she spotted the spiky-haired boy ... in a barred cell across from hers. She slightly gasped at the fact that she was behind iron bars once again but this time in a dingy, puddle-ridden cell.

Although his voice was wryly bitter, it didn't bother her as much as it would seem. Goldie had been around the mocking demon long enough to truly understand his feelings. Well, that was what she wanted to say but in truth, it was still hard to predict anything from the stubborn idiot.

Resting his back against the side wall of his square cell, Alastor opened one eye and peered sideways at her through the shadows cast by one single flickering light bulb hanging over the only entrance to the entire room. (Wherever they were, it lacked windows and fresh air. The entire place seemed old and abandoned for there was dust visible where there was no water and the stale air horribly reeked.)

As always, Alastor's stare was that of annoyance.

Ignoring his hostile behaviour towards her, (he was _always_ like that for some reason), she forced herself up into a sitting position, cringing slightly at the pain in her head. "Al ..." she managed to croak before finding her voice again. "What happened? How'd we get here?"

He didn't answer right away. He just continued to look at her with that same stare. Did she say something stupid or what?

Through the shadows, she could see a smirk form over his lips when she was about to ask him again. "Beats me," he simply said, obviously a lie.

"What do you mean, you liar!" she fumed at his dishonesty. "How'd we get caught by ... By whoever it was that caught us?"

"I dunno," he mumbled, closing his eyes once more. She could still see him grinning.

Goldie inwardly growled and formed a scowl on her face. "Oh, stop lying!"

"Man, you're loud," he muttered under his breath, making her deepen her scowl. "Just shut up for a while, okay? I'm trying to think of a way to bust outta here."

The scowl turned into a frown. _'Think'_ of a way out? That was so unlike Alastor. Usually he would've gone and busted out of the cell by now; ignoring the consequences. Raising her brow in suspicion, she stared at him carefully. "Why don't you just break open the bars?"

"Stupid-" she immediately glared at him - "Look at your watch."

"Huh? It's 4:16 p.m."

"Not _that_ one. Your other one."

By that, he meant the V-Watch her father had given her twice as a world-saving parting gift. Sheesh, he could've just mentioned it more specifically. She glanced down at it and gasped. There was nothing but skin. Her V-Watch was gone!

"Th-They took it!" she cried, still examining her bare wrist. All her superhero powers were gone just like that. Now what was she going to do? Her father would definitely punish her in some way for losing one of his precious V-Watches to … "Wait. Who took it? Al! Tell me where we are!"

Like before, Alastor didn't reply right away. He just sat there in his own cell like a sleeping, motionless, arrogant _jerk_.

Oh boy, was she going to tickle him to death whenever she got out of the dank prison.

Sighing at the demon's lack of response, Goldie decided to figure it out herself. _Gedow_ was the first thing that came to her mind as she thought of all the possibilities of who could've abducted them. Alastor and Goldie's last encounter with Gedow was that ice cat, Frost Tiger.

That haiku-loving feline's cool, serene personality matched his element of ice, much like how his hot-headed brother was to fire. As calm as the cat was before battle, Tiger's demeanour towards his foe was as cold as snow.

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Blizzard Hazard Frost Tiger.

Just remembering that name brought memories of the freezing cold to Goldie's body. The girl winced, suddenly feeling chills up her spine in remembrance of the arctic weather she suffered through. She had been through blizzards, avalanches and even under the icy ocean to finally reach a frozen cave that was (like every other place) full of Gedow's cronies. By then she was practically numb all over from the cold. Alastor didn't even seemed fazed by the extreme temperature. Maybe because he was a demon or something. What a lucky jerk.

In fact, he was burning with an intense fire inside because he got to do what he loved best. And that was to beat the hell out of every enemy that opposed them. Well, mainly opposed _him_ because he did all the fighting. He _wanted_ to do all the fighting after having to endure being submerged inside (what he had called "a goddamn tiny underwater-capsule-thing") Six Machine under the deep ocean for a while. It was easy to tell that machines were not one of Alastor's favourite things. (Goldie ended up controlling the sub for their entire ocean journey which was awesome because she got a chance to blow up that annoying Sergeant Big John who seemed to have more lives than a cat. How many times did Alastor try to kill that dinosaur now? Goldie had lost count. But that one time was her first.)

"Hmm ..." she curled her lips as she pondered further into her memories. It couldn't have been Frost Tiger, now she that she thought of it. The winter feline fell before the duo in that ice cavern. She remembered that clearly ... So ... "Ah!" She snapped her fingers and grinned. "Dr. Cranken, isn't it? He's the one holding us here."

That's right! How could she forget seeing that ugly purple mug of that four-limbed octopus and his newly introduced creation? What the creation was exactly was still fuzzy in Goldie's mind, she couldn't quite put a picture on it.

Alastor didn't move, but he did give her a little smirk. "Took you long enough," he simply replied.

God, his attitude never seemed to change no matter what sort of situation he was in. Goldie really hated that. "Why didn't you just tell me!" she growled, grabbing the iron bars with both hands to demonstrate how angry she really was.

"Didn't feel like it," was all the demon said.

Letting out a cry of frustration, she tried to rattle the bars in anger but to no avail. Muttering in defeat, she sank back into her cell and glowered deeply at her infuriating partner.

Silence fell upon them and none had said a word for a while. Goldie had been carefully watching the dark-haired demon for all that time and noticed something strange. Alastor hadn't moved ever since she woke up. Not an inch. Not a centimetre. Not even a millimetre. Except, of course, when he had spoken. However, it seemed different as well when he had talked. He would've made more remarks or insults than simple replies and he would've at least made an attempt to break out. Unless he already tried to break out while she was still unconscious but that still didn't answer his sudden silent behaviour.

Alastor was just so ... lifelessly still. She could've mistaken him for dead if he had never said a word to her when she woke up.

"Al?" she broke the silence and eyed the demon for any movement. She caught sight of him furrowing his brow at the sound of her voice. "You all right?"

There was a short pause.

"I'm fine," he firmly answered, not bothering to give her the slightest glance.

Goldie frowned at his tone. The way he spoke those two words was easily recognizable.

Shaking her head, the girl shifted closer to the iron bars to try to get a better look at the demon. "You're hurt, aren't you?" she stated, hoping she didn't sound too worried. But in fact she was.

"It's nothing."

Which translated into "Yes" to Goldie's ears. Alastor was definitely wounded. "Doesn't look like it's _nothing_," she told him.

"Hmph," he breathed but didn't say anything else.

Definitely wounded pretty bad ...

But how? Alastor was never too careless in battle to get himself beat up. (Except that one time with Hulk ... But after that, Goldie made sure to watch his back ever since.) And Goldie had never allowed him to get into serious danger alone. As well, they were _in_ the movies! The movie world had its limitations to stuff like that because the director would never let any danger come to his or her actors …

__

Jeez, what's going on? This part of the sequel seemed different than when Silvia and Joe starred in it.

What did Dr. Cranken pull before he caught Goldie? Her sister was never caught by the slimy squid last time …

Something had happened to the plot …

"What-" she was immediately cut off by a hush.

"That ugly freak's coming." This time the demon raised his head to glare at the rusted metal door. Footsteps echoed faintly behind it. Two pairs of feet could be heard.

Goldie clenched her jaw, tensing at the arrival of her captors. What more did she want than to pummel that mollusc into an oozing pulp for capturing and holding them prisoner. Then she would beat the hell out of him again for hurting her man.

A key was shoved into the lock then turned with a metal screech, making Goldie flinch at the horrid sound. With a loud clank, the door opened and in stepped the big-brained octopus along with one yellow, hyperactive-looking black spotted cat-guy that seemed related to Frost Tiger and Fire Leo.

If his mouth were visible, Dr. Cranken would probably be sneering at his two prisoners. "Ah, my 'guests' have finally awoken. Welcome to my underground lair," he announced with a snide little laugh.

His cheetah friend wheezed a chuckle. The green-eyed cat was prowling about, sniffing the bars of Goldie's cell and drooling disgustingly. "Food!" it cried, trying to shove its hideous claws inside to reach the girl only to be stopped by the bars.

With a startled yelp, Goldie slid as far away as she could from the hungry beast. It let out a low growl in effort as it tried to _chew_ the bars with its huge, pointed fangs.

"Master! I want it! I want it! Why can't I get it!" it whined, speaking so rapidly that Goldie didn't catch everything it said.

"What are you doing, fool!" Cranken roared. He brought up his cane and knocked the cheetah over the head. "I told you to behave, now shut up and let me talk!"

With a cat's mew, the hungry beast shrank back and hid behind the doctor to rub its sore head.

"As I was saying," the octopus continued, "Welcome to my underground lair. It is not up to my standards but it'll be enough … " He trailed off purposely to keep his "guests" suspicious.

"Just skip the introduction," Alastor shortly cut in, still glaring at the doctor.

"Ha! Such a rude one," spat the Mad Scientist as he eyed the demon through the darkness. "I know who you are, boy. You're Alastor of that pathetic good-for-nothing _Jadow_." The slimy squid cocked his enormous head and narrowed his one unprotected eye. "What's Jadow up to nowadays? Pretending to be heroes?"

The boy snorted. "Jadow? I got nothing to do with them. But," Alastor paused, giving the doctor a threatening stare, "even if they are pathetic, they're far superior than _you_."

Forcing a harsh laugh, the octopus tapped the end of his cane onto the ground and leaned forward on it. "Nonsense," he hissed amusingly. "I am far greater than you weaklings."

"I told you, I ain't with Jadow, you ugly freak. And who're you calling 'weak'?" Alastor growled, baring his teeth. "I'll kick you and your stupid cat's ass in any fight!" Even though he had said that, the boy hadn't moved from his spot to prove his words true.

"Really now?" Dr. Cranken chuckled. "Don't get yourself so worked up, brat. I'm surprised you're even alive with that kind of wound."

At the sound of that, Goldie heavily frowned and bit her lower lip. Anger soon rose up within her and she glared at the doctor alongside Alastor. "What did you do to him, you big-nosed slimy squid!" she snarled, "How dare you hurt him! I'm gonna kick _your_ ass!"

"Hey, I called him first. The ugly freak's _mine_," Alastor calmly told the girl, giving her a sideways look.

The blonde shook her head and smirked. "Nuh uh, Al. I'll be the one beating this squid up for putting us in here!"

"Damn woman, _I_ will be doing the beating on both of them!"

"Yeah right! Not if I get them first!"

"_Silence_!" Dr. Cranken roared, his head steaming mad.

"Whoever's first, huh?" Alastor smirked at his partner and ignored the angry octopus. "Fine. The deal's on then!"

"I said '_silence'_!" the doctor roared again, fuming at the two behind bars. "You should remember, children, that you are at my _mercy_. You should be begging for it!"

"'_Beg_ for mercy'?" Goldie rolled her eyes and snorted. "Now who in their right minds would want to do that because of some powerless squid?"

"I know that coward behind the ugly doc would," Alastor answered.

Now both of the captors were fuming mad. The carnivorous feline leaped at the boy's cell and tried to reach into the prison with its long claws. (Goldie couldn't help but ponder how a brilliant scientist like Dr. Cranken would create something so stupid. Then again, maybe the doctor wasn't so smart after all … But she could be wrong. She and Alastor somehow got captured by him after all.)

Alastor only watched with an amusing stare. "Master! Let me eat him! I want to eat him!" the cat bellowed in fury.

"Better yet," Dr. Cranken hissed, trying to control his anger. "We'll punish them for their uncouth behaviour!"

"Yeah! Punishment!"

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Punishment?

The girl suddenly tensed, afraid of what the evil pair would do. No, no, she shouldn't be afraid. Heroes are never afraid of anything. Clenching her fists, she sucked in a deep breath and put on a very unimpressed expression.

"What're you gonna do?" Alastor asked in a provoking tone. "You gonna stand there and be ugly all day? Because just seeing your hideous face is more than enough punishment you're putting me through."

Before Alastor even finished saying the last part, Cranken had already resumed to steam with anger. "I've had enough of you! Cheatah! Give them each a _50,000 _volt shock."

This time Goldie didn't hide her fear. Everything was real, she had to remember. So an electric shock was a _real_ electric shock.

The spotted feline cackled wildly, still hanging on the bars of Alastor's prison. "Yes! Yes!" it roared with a fiendish glee. Sparks began to fly from the beast's spiky mane as it prepared to strike the boy within the cell.

"Al!" the girl cried as she got to her feet and ran towards her endangered partner only to be stopped by iron bars. She saw Alastor transfixed by the dire sight before him. Goldie screamed and yelled at the dumb cat to stop. She even pleaded.

Cranken only laughed at her futile attempt while the cat continued to charge up; growing brighter with each passing second. (She could already feel the static in the air around her.)

She didn't care if _she_ was the one getting shocked, Goldie didn't want to see Alastor hurt! "Leave him alone!" she screamed, desperately trying to break down the bars.

Cranken looked at her, a hint of a malicious smile creeping over his face. "Cheatah! Wait just a moment," he suddenly ordered, still eyeing the girl.

The spotted animal instantly stopped by its master's word, only to mew sadly for not having a chance to do what it wanted to do: "What? What? Why?"

Gesturing towards the girl, the doctor said, "Start with the girl first."

"_What_!" Alastor roared, breaking free of his previous spell.

Gasping with wide eyes full of horror, Goldie fell back and tried to clamber far away from the cheetah only to be greeted by the wall. She was trapped. Trapped within a smelly damp cell. All the water around her obviously increased the chance of getting electrocuted even if she somehow managed to dodge the feline's attack.

"Leave her out of this, you damn ugly _bastard_! She's just a weakling! I'll be the one fighting you so forget the girl!" she heard her partner cry. It was funny … Alastor never seemed to show his worry for her in a "nice" way. Sometimes, he would make it sound like he didn't really care at all … Perhaps he really didn't care at times, it was hard to tell.

The girl couldn't see him, only the sparkling beast who was once again excited to obey its master's command. Its mane glowed and cackled with electricity, making Goldie jump at the sounds. She didn't know _when_ it was coming. Lightning was so unpredictable; one could never expect where and when it would strike …

"Hush, hush, boy," Cranken's voice could be heard over the intense crackling of sparks against the metal bars. "You'll get your turn."

Alastor said something Goldie couldn't hear for everything but the loud electricity was tuned out. Trembling with fear, she couldn't help but whimper. Those green eyes of the huge yellow cat were the last thing she saw before everything turned white. The most unimaginable pain ever seared through her entire body. A scream could be heard far off in the distance and she didn't know who's it was. It was probably her own …

Whiteness turned to darkness when Goldie could no longer feel any more pain. All thoughts were lost and all consciousness faded into the consuming blackness.

- - _To be continued …_

A/N: Reviews would be nice. Tell me what you readers think and how I could improve. Criticize me and I'll return the favour by doing better in future chapters. Yeah, this fic will have more than one chapter this time. Hope you all enjoyed it!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Well, I got the new games and I'm kind of disappointed by their outcome. Red Hot Rumble is very limited in gameplay while Double Trouble just doesn't live up to the original Viewtiful Joe. But oh well, they're still fairly good games. I now wait for a true sequel to VJ2.

_Note: This chapter has been revised hopefully for the better. _

- - _Chapter 2: What's the Use of a Girl Jailed Next to You? - -_

"Al."

Damn, he could hear her voice. That's good ... she was all right.

"Say something!"

Although, it was nice when everything was black and silent …

"Come on … anything ..."

But now, it was too noisy and bright. A loud buzz sounded off somewhere from above and the light faded, returning him to darkness. He would have allowed himself to drift out of consciousness if the light hadn't noisily returned.

_Ugh … What the hell?_

He cringed when he tried to see what was going on. The brightness stunned his eyes for a moment before the only light bulb in the smelly cell blinked out again. When it came back on, he let out a painful groan and quickly averted his sight from the light.

There was a gasp in the room. "Al! You're alive!" the girl cried, her voice sounding ten hundred times louder than ever.

Wincing, Alastor drew a deep breath and forced himself to get up. His whole body was tingling and twitchy that it made moving rather difficult. "Of course … I'm alive," he mumbled, managing to avoid cursing at the sudden pain that shot through him as he rose into a sitting position. "That wasn't … 50,000 volts at all," he added between sharp breaths. He leaned heavily against the back wall of his holding cell. It was the darkest part where no light could reach which was at the moment his favourite spot. That damn light bulb was annoyingly bright.

That said bulb flickered off for a few seconds before flashing back on, causing him to flinch.

"It felt like it … to me," the girl quietly said from wherever she was. He couldn't see her; it hurt to look through the light. He didn't need to since he knew she was directly across from him in her own prison. "Are you okay?"

A short, positive grumble was the demon's reply. The girl said something else soon after but he instinctively ignored her; not being in the mood for a conversation when he felt absolutely terrible. It was all that ugly purple kraken's fault. No wait, that stupid lightning beast's fault. Twice, he was struck by its electricity.

The first time, he hardly remembered how it happened but he was certain that it was _before_ he and the girl had ended up as prisoners. The second time was partially clear. Only the girl's scream and his sudden rise in hatred towards Gedow were clear in his mind. The pain as well. White light and pain.

_That damn bastard of a cat …_

That animal must really be stupid if it didn't know how much electricity 50,000 volts was. But no matter how low the voltage was, it still hurt like hell. Unlike the other two respectful feline brothers Alastor had faced off, that cheetah was a dirty fighter; attacking from out of sight and picking only on the girl.

It was no wonder that she couldn't remember a thing about their first encounter with that hungry beast; she didn't see the animal attack. Everything happened all too fast for a human like her to react. The cheetah moved so damn fast, hence its animalistic and elemental nature. (Its speed could possible match Alastor's if the devil had his full demonic powers.)

She never saw it coming, but Alastor did. His eyes could see the feline's lightning-fast movements _only_ if the cheetah remained in his line of vision. However, that was impossible with the 'fake environment' Dr. Cranken somehow produced with only a push of a button on top of his cane. (Trees and rocky cliffs suddenly appeared out of nowhere! Back then, the girl had said something about a 'hologram'. What exactly was a 'hologram'?)

The fake environment left the pair at a huge disadvantage. Alastor could not predict where the cheetah had attacked from; it had lunged for the girl's side and the dark-haired devil had barely made it in time to save her.

Why did he do such a thing again? Why couldn't he explain his risking his own life to protect her?

He clutched his wounded side where two-and-a-half out of five, six-inch claws slashed right into him. It was a fatal wound for a human but not for a demon. Such a wound would be absolutely _nothing_ to him if his demonic powers weren't greatly hindered by the cursed V-Watch. It would've completely healed by now. (It _has_ healed somewhat though and he was greatful for that.)

Well, he certainly wouldn't be in such a mess in the first place if it weren't for that girl's carelessness. His V-Watch wouldn't have been malfunctioning either. Unlike the blonde, he still had a V-Watch (unfortunately) strapped around his wrist but for some stupid reason, he couldn't call forth any of his powers. That dumb feline must've fried its circuitry.

"Hmph," he silently exhaled. His V-Watch was nothing but a hunk of junk.

That Dr. What's-His-Face and that freaking cheetah were going to pay for all of his trouble. Seething, Alastor had enough of sitting around and doing nothing. He had to break out of the iron prison in order to get revenge.

There was nothing he could use to smash open the gate. If he had his beloved sword, slicing through the bars would be a breeze but unfortunately, it was taken away from him.

Looks like the only way out was by sheer force. His wounds have healed enough for him to stand with minor pain.

A loud clang sounded when his foot connected with the old rusted prison gate. Right then, the light flashed off.

"What are you doing!"

"What's it look like?"

"Have you even been listening to anything I said?"

"No."

When the light came back, he forced all his weight into another kick, getting the same result; the stupid door wouldn't budge. At least he didn't see it move, but another kick made a new rattling sound.

The girl was clearly visible now, gripping at the bars of her cell and frowning at him. She seemed paler than usual and a little frizzled too. "Are you even all right to be doing that sort of thing?" she asked after seeing the demon slightly falter backwards from the last kick.

"I'm doing it, aren't I?" he answered bluntly; too focused on knocking the rusted gate open. Each force he applied on the metal was pretty excruciating. Something warm trickled down his wounded side after a couple more attempts. He tried one more time, but it seemed weaker than the last and his balance was way off.

"Aw, man," he groaned when dizziness struck him. Silently, the young devil cursed as he felt himself fall against the side wall.

"Alastor!"

"Huh?" the boy weakly moaned in confusion. That was the first time she had ever said his full name in a while. He blinked at the girl, seeing her rise to her feet with a look of blurred determination.

There was a pause as she looked him over. She then pointed at him and smiled assuringly. "If you think that I'm going to allow you to beat up that octopus first, you're wrong!"

After shaking the dizziness away, he stared at her for he had not expected her to say something like that. Slowly, the demon grinned. "Oh, is that so?"

"You got that right, darling. I'm not going to let you win our little deal."

_Little_? It wasn't little! Come on, whoever wins gets to pummel that ugly octopus freak and his sidekick. That wasn't a small deal. It was a _huge_, revengeful anger-driven deal.

Just thinking about it made the demon lust for battle. _Argh!_ He wanted to get out and kill something! Something like Big John. Annoying as he was, that big dino and his tank-like contraptions seemed like a good thing to demolish at this point in time.

Alastor snorted at the girl's remark and sneered. "What're you gonna pull?"

Shrugging, she gestured to the iron bars before her. "Well, a plan to get out of course," she simply answered in a matter-of-fact tone. "Seeing that brute force isn't doing you any good, I think I'll go with a more _logic_ approach."

"What?" The demon raised an eyebrow, not seeing how anything _but_ brute force would get either of them out.

The girl rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "It's a lock, Al. Locks need things called 'keys' to open."

He glowered at her. "I'm not stupid, woman. If you hadn't noticed already, there _aren't_ any keys lying around."

Waving a finger while "tsking" at him, she let out a snide chuckle. "That's why we _improvise_; use something else as a key or close to it. You know, a lock pick." As she spoke, she was searching the floor and herself for anything useful.

The light flickered off at that moment only to return noisily after a short while.

Bah. However logical her plan sounded, it was more boring and less fun than breaking down a gate. Although, Alastor supposed that picking the lock was a less painful idea.

Sighing, he slid down the wall in exhaustion, (his hunger for battle had quickly diminished), and watched the girl use the metal clasp of her belt to pick the inside of the keyhole. It was barely a minute when the girl let out a growl of frustration as she fidgeted with the lock.

"Stupid thing …" she muttered to herself, deep in concentration. "Come on … Unlock, damn you! …" She continued to grunt little insults as she worked and the demon internally groaned at her stupid plan.

Was a belt buckle _even_ capable of unlocking an old key lock?

Ignoring the girl's frustrated sounds of effort, Alastor focused on his own ordeal. His wound had been bleeding ever since it had reopened. Clutching at it tightly, the demon closed his eyes and drew in deep breaths to relax his body.

Healing the huge gashes in his side was the devil's number one priority. The injury was making him suffer and worse off, it terribly weakened him.

Just how was he going to fight if he couldn't even throw a good punch?

Ha. Laughable; embarrassingly laughable. No way in hell would he ever show his weakness to his opponents. He had to be at full strength to confront any foe.

Time was the problem though. Healing such a large wound required a long period of rest. A full day at least. And Cranken was not likely going leave his dear 'guests' alone for that long.

However long he had, Alastor would make use of it.

A loud metal screech threw the devil out of his trance. Alastor blinked in the darkness – since when did the bulb go out? – and turned to where the girl should be. It sounded like she actually succeeded in her plan. "Finally got out?" he asked mockingly.

"No … That's not me," he heard her say in a cautious whisper.

"Huh?" Right then, the thick metal door to the prison room swung open. Light poured through, causing the devil to cringe away from the sudden brightness. Alastor had caught sight of a human silhouette standing in the doorway. Whoever it was would have been a mystery if it weren't for the easily noticeable glowing red eyes …

"It's Rachael …"


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I have revised Chapter 2 past the point before Goldie breaks out. Yeah, I have to admit, it was sort of lame for her to break out so easily so I changed that part. Hopefully, it will appeal to you more, Jane, and to everyone else as well. If not, then let me know.

- - _Chapter 3: If All's Well, It'll Go Well - -_

Big John marched proudly right into the new boss's laboratory and gave the proper salute. "Sir! My troops are on their way to the rendezvous point and will be there in 1200 hours!" he informed his superior.

"Excellent work, Sergeant," Dr. Cranken commended, hardly turning away from what he was working on. "My ultimate plan is almost complete. Be sure your troops are ready when they get there."

The prehistoric reptile stomped one foot and saluted again. "Yes sir! My men are armed with the latest weaponry and will certainly attain victory! – I mean, will certainly retrieve the Black Film as per your orders, sir!"

The metal-headed octopus turned to face the dinosaur. "Latest weaponry? They better not _destroy_ the Black Film," he warned.

"Yeah! Yeah!" wheezed the spotted cat-beast, prowling near the boss. Big John really didn't like mammals.

"Yeah! I agree! I mean, if you destroy it then Master's plan would go up in smoke! And because of that –" Nor did he like talking chameleons. Just _why_ would the boss bring back the annoying chatty Leon?

Every time the dinosaur was in the same room with the more inferior reptile, John wanted to eat the irritating thing. Not only was the chameleon a speedy chatterbox, so was that furry cheetah.

Gwar! The sergeant couldn't stand those two lowlifes! The aforementioned pair were busily talking amongst themselves in their very annoying way, driving the T-Rex mad.

"Shut up! Both of you! I can hardly understand a single word you're saying!" John roared, making the two jump and cower. _Discipline! They need discipline!_

Cameo Leon squealed an apology. A very _long_ apology, "Sorry, Big John! Sorry! I didn't mean to confuse you or anything! We were just saying how impossible it is for Master's plan to work if­–"

"You're defying my orders to shut up! Get out there and run one hundred laps around the perimeter!"

"What! I can't run! I'm not built for speed or endurance for that matter! I'll suffer and die from one lap!"

The mammal jumped with excitement. "I can run! Want me to? I'll do two hundred!" it said.

"All of you, be quiet!" Dr. Cranken bellowed. All members of the room immediately closed their mouths. The head of Gedow returned his gaze to the Tyrannosaurus. "Sergeant, you better return the Black film in one piece. You hear?"

"Of course, sir! No harm will come to the Black Film! You have my word on it!" Big John assured, gulping internally at the promise. It was possible that _some_ harm could come to the Black Film with the high-tech Laser Destructor Beam Cannon he gave his artillery squad. He had to make sure to warn his troops to use that deadly weapon for emergencies only.

The scientist slowly nodded and formed a delighted smile with his face (since his mouth was not visible). "Good. Good. You may go now," he said, waving the dino off with his human hand.

The sergeant saluted and turned to go but stopped after remembering something he wanted to do. "Sir! Permission to punish the prisoners!"

Big John had been defeated by the hands of the two so-called heroes countless of times and now carried battle scars on his handsome face to prove it! Well, battle scars plus the loss of an arm and an eye. Though, they weren't as bad as the previous pair of heroes, they were _worse_! Every time John tried to dispose the two newcomers, he had an inclined feeling that both of them, especially the demon-boy, wanted to kill him.

_Grr_ …

The thought just boiled his blood! How dare they try to end the life of the most brilliant, coolest, and deadliest villain of Gedow (that would someday get promoted to being the leader)! Such unruly children needed _discipline_!

Now that the brats were imprisoned in Gedow's new hideout without _any_ of their powers and weapons, hence rendering them non-threatening, John could do whatever he wanted to them! He laughed evilly in his mind … or so he thought that he did.

"What are you laughing at?" spat the boss, looking impatiently at John. "Didn't you hear me, you nitwit?"

"I – uh, huh? Sorry, sir!" The sergeant saluted apologetically. "I seemed to have dazed out for a bit there! Could you repeat your answer to my request?"

Cranken furrowed his brow. "Permission denied."

"What! B-B-But why?"

"Because I already took care of them."

The yellow, spotted mammal let out raspy laugh. "You mean, me! Me!" it cried gleefully.

"Shut up," the boss growled, waving his cane at the drooling beast.

"Y-You finished them off?" Big John howled in disappointment.

"No. I haven't put them out of their misery yet. What fun would that be?"

John was relieved. "Then why can't I punish them? They are the enemy! I'll make them endure physical labour and pain!" _By hunting them with a tank through an obstacle course full of booby traps!_ he silently added, forming a toothy grin.

"Nonsense!" his superior replied, wiping the grin away. "I know you will screw up somewhere and eventually let them escape. Better that you stay _away_ from the holding cells, Sergeant. Understand?"

With his good eye twitching with anger, Big John nodded and growled an apology.

Stupid Dr. Cranken. How dare he define him, Drill Sergeant Big John, a screw up!

He hasn't screwed up once! Although … he did fail at every attempt to stop Alastor and Goldie's progress. And there was that one time when that stupid ice tiger interfered, so that wasn't John's fault!

Big John did his best to suppress the urge to swear profanely at the scientist. Following the octopus's orders was no fun. Since when did he deserve the right to be the leader of the renewed Gedow ever since Emperor Black was defeated by Viewtiful Joe and Silvia? John should have stepped up to the throne when he had the chance!

Grawr! Stupid! Stupid! Why didn't _he_ become leader?

Seething inwardly, Big John turned to leave only to be stopped by Cranken, "Sergeant, why are you wearing that absurd V-Watch around your wrist?"

_Oh damn, he noticed it …_

"Gah – uh, well … It's a souvenir, sir! Actually, a memento of victory!" the dinosaur half-lied. He had taken it from the human girl right before throwing her in prison, knowing that the silver watch was the source of her Superpowers. (The boy had one too but John couldn't get it off.)

The prehistoric reptile wore it, hoping that the thing would give _him_ Superpowers. Unfortunately, he didn't know how to use it. He had to do some interrogation first …

"Hmph. How foolish," was the boss's lowly reply. Waving his cane, he dismissed the sergeant. "Be gone, I still have lots more to work on in order for my plan to be completed. Report back when your troops have retrieved the Black Film."

Saluting yet again, Big John shouted a "Yes, sir!" before stomping away, feeling more furious than when Frost Tiger single-handedly beat him during the confrontation in the ice cavern. Curse the dreaded cold mammal! If John ever saw that cat again, he was sure going to show that kitty the true meaning of 'Friendly Fire'.

Muttering and growling to himself, John couldn't help but feel like he was supposed to do something important. He shook that feeling away; he wasn't in the mood to do anything but order some Flatties around.

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A/N: Flatties? Is that what Gedow's minions are called? Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it! Let me know how you liked it and what needs to be changed, if there is something that seems absolutely out of the ordinary. (Like say, grammar?) Stay tuned for another update some time in the future.


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